Books like 'The Phantom Isles'
Readers who enjoyed The Phantom Isles by Stephen Alter & John Rocco also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
fantasy supernatural horror action / adventure mystery paranormal ghosts children friendship
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Deep and Dark and Dangerous (A Ghost Story) by Mary Downing Hahn
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsJust before summer begins, 13-year-old Ali finds an odd photograph in the attic. She knows the two children in it are her mother, Claire, and her aunt Dulcie...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts paranormal action-adventure audiobook book children-books -
![Her Evil Twin by Mimi McCoy]()
Her Evil Twin by Mimi McCoy
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIs Anna's new BFF really her evil twin? Nothing is as it seems in this thrilling, bone-chilling new Poison Apple book!Anna's new friend, Emma, is everything Anna wants to be -- fearless, effortlessly fashionable, and always up for doing something new and fun. The girls even look alike, and soon they're fixing their hair the same way and sharing clothes.But Emma is also kind of a troublemaker... -
![May Bird, Warrior Princess by Jodi Lynn Anderson]()
May Bird, Warrior Princess by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAt Hog Wallow Middle School, May Ellen Bird was always slightly invisible. Then she went on a long trip to the land of the dead, where ghost towns glowed blue in the dark dusk and spooky specters dwelled in cities on the Dead Sea... -
![The Thief Knot by Kate Milford]()
The Thief Knot by Kate Milford
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGhosts, a kidnapping, a crew of young detectives, and family secrets mix in this new standalone mystery set in the world of the best-selling Greenglass House, from a National Book Award nominee and Edgar Award–winning author.Marzana and her best friend are bored. Even though they live in a notorious city where normal rules do not apply, nothing interesting ever happens to them...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts paranormal action-adventure audiobook book children-books -
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![The Strangers by Jacqueline West, Lexy Fridell]()
The Strangers by Jacqueline West, Lexy Fridell
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsOlive thought she'd uncovered all the house's secrets. She was wrong.It's Halloween night when strangers come to Linden Street...and something dear to Olive goes missing... -
![Lost Lullaby by Jason Segel]()
Lost Lullaby by Jason Segel
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratings"Coraline meets Monsters, Inc. in this delightfully entertaining offering from actor [Jason] Segel and co-author [Kirsten] Miller." --Publishers Weekly, on book one in the series Stay up late with the hilariously frightening middle-grade novel Nightmares! The Lost Lullaby...Categorized as:
children friendship paranormal action-adventure audiobook book children-books family -
![The Crossbones by Patrick Carman]()
The Crossbones by Patrick Carman
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsPart text, part video, all chills and thrills -- Patrick Carman's Skeleton Creek returns! Strange things happen in Skeleton Creek...and when they do, Ryan writes them down and Sarah captures them on video. Now, the spookiness is spreading, and the mystery is going to take them far beyond Skeleton Creek-into places both unexpectedly sinister and spine-chillingly haunted... -
![The Raven by Patrick Carman]()
The Raven by Patrick Carman
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsPart text, part video, all spine-tingling mystery. Patrick Carman's Skeleton Creek returns to thrill. Strange things happen in Skeleton Creek - and when they do, Ryan writes them down and Sarah captures them on video. They've solved old mysteries. They've followed clues all over the country and underground. They've investigated secret societies. They've found their answers. Or so they thought...Categorized as:
children ghosts paranormal action-adventure book children-books contemporary epistolary -
![The Second Spy by Jacqueline West, Lexy Fridell]()
The Second Spy by Jacqueline West, Lexy Fridell
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn Olive's third adventure, what lurks below the house could be as dangerous as what's hidden inside . . . Some terrifying things have happened to Olive in the old stone house, but none as scary as starting junior high. Or so she thinks. When she plummets through a hole in her backyard, though, she realizes two things that may change her mind: First, the wicked Annabelle McMartin is back... -
![Among the Stars by Jodi Lynn Anderson]()
Among the Stars by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMay Bird has always been a bit. . . different. While most of her classmates were riding their bikes, she was running around the West Virginia woods, dressed as a warrior princess with her hairless cat at her side... -
![Ghost in the Machine by Patrick Carman]()
Ghost in the Machine by Patrick Carman
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe chilling second book in the innovative series from bestselling author Patrick Carman. Strange things are happening in Skeleton Creek...and Ryan and Sarah are trying to find out why. Ryan writes down everything in his journal, and Sarah records everything on her videocam...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts paranormal action-adventure book children-books contemporary -
![The Black Reckoning by John Stephens]()
The Black Reckoning by John Stephens
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe final book in the bestselling Books of Beginning trilogy that began with "The Emerald Atlas," which the "New York Times" called "a new Narnia for the tween set... -
![Dead Scary: The Ghost who refused to leave by Sally Gould]()
Dead Scary: The Ghost who refused to leave by Sally Gould
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAdam is an ordinary boy, except for one thing. He can see and talk with ghosts.When his family moves into what seems like the home of his dreams, Adam finds out it isn't his dream home after all. Edward Lawrence, a bossy ghost who was Adam's age when he died, regards the home as his own and he doesn't want to share it with an annoying boy who can see him... -
![The Haunted Howl by Eric Luper]()
The Haunted Howl by Eric Luper
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCleo and Evan have a secret. A collection of books so dangerous they are locked up tight. A friend has vanished inside the pages of one of them. It's up to them to find the key that will set her free. THE CURSE OF THE FULL MOON MUST BE BROKEN!On a dark and stormy night, Cleo and Evan are haunted by a disaster... -
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![Dead Good Detectives by Jenny McLachlan]()
Dead Good Detectives by Jenny McLachlan
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSid Jones loves hanging out in the graveyard with her best friend Zen - they are desperate to see a real-life ghost!But when Sid accidentally summons a 300-year-old pirate from the dead, it opens the door to the HALFWAY HOUSE - a magical inn FULL of lost souls from across the ages, all trapped there by a sinister landlord... -
![Dark Carousel by Joe Hill]()
Dark Carousel by Joe Hill
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsJoe Hill, "the best horror writer of our generation” (Michael Koryta), returns with a brand new short story.A balmy summer night in 1994. Four teenagers out for an evening of fun on the boardwalk take a ride on the “Wild Wheel” – an antique carousel with a shadowy past – and learn too late that decisions made in an instant can have deadly consequences... -
![The Amazing Mr Blunden by Antonia Barber]()
The Amazing Mr Blunden by Antonia Barber
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt was such an old house it sometimes seemed to Lucy that all the past was gathered up inside it as if in a great box; as though it had a life of its own that continued to exist just beyond the reach of her eyes and ears...Categorized as:
children ghosts paranormal 20th-century action-adventure book children-books classics -
![The Ghost of Midnight Lake by Lucy Strange]()
The Ghost of Midnight Lake by Lucy Strange
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom award winning author Lucy Strange comes a thrilling ghost story about a strong willed heroine who will follow even the most restless spirit in order to untangles the dark mystery of her own past.It's 1899. The Earl of Gosswater has died, and twelve-year-old Agatha has been cast out of her ancestral home - the only home she has ever known - by her cruel cousin, Clarence... -
![Recess Is a Jungle! by Jack Chabert]()
Recess Is a Jungle! by Jack Chabert
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSam, Antonio, and Lucy get trapped in a monstrous hedge maze! Will they ever find their way out?This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line called Branches, which is aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina... -
![Nightmares! The Sleepwalker Tonic by Jason Segel]()
Nightmares! The Sleepwalker Tonic by Jason Segel
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsNightmares! The Sleepwalker Tonic is the sequel to the hilariously scary New York Times bestselling novel Nightmares! by multitalented actor Jason Segel and bestselling author Kirsten Miller. You thought the nightmares were over? You better keep the lights on! Charlie Laird has a dream life. 1) He has a weirdo stepmom who runs an herbarium...Categorized as:
children friendship paranormal action-adventure audiobook book children-books contemporary -
![Time Windows by Kathryn Reiss]()
Time Windows by Kathryn Reiss
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen Miranda moves with her family to a new house in a small Massachusetts town, she discovers a mysterious antique--a dollhouse. Through the windows, she is shocked to find what seem to be living people in the tiny rooms, and gradually she realizes that scenes from the lives of the big house’s past inhabitants are being replayed there... -
![Ghost of Fossil Glen by Cynthia C. DeFelice]()
Ghost of Fossil Glen by Cynthia C. DeFelice
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAllie Nichols is being pursued by a ghost. Her friend Karen calls Allie a liar and doesn't want to hear stuff like that. But her old pal, Dub, listens eagerly as Allie tells him about the voice that guides her down a steep cliff side, the girl she imagines who begs, Help me, and a terrible nightmare in which that girl falls to her death...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts paranormal action-adventure audiobook book children-books -
![Captivada by Jacqueline West]()
Captivada by Jacqueline West
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWith no way into the McMartin house's magical paintings, and its three guardian cats reluctant to help, Olive's friend Morton is still trapped inside Elsewhere. So when Rutherford, the new oddball kid next door mentions a grimoire--a spellbook--Olive sees a glint of hope. If she can find the McMartins' spellbook, maybe she can help Morton escape Elsewhere for good...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts paranormal action-adventure alternate-universe animals audiobook -
![The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn]()
The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsDiana and her little brother Georgie have been living in the woods behind the old Willis place, a decaying Victorian mansion, for what already seems like forever. They aren’t allowed to leave the property or show themselves to anyone... -
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![Ghosts Don't Ride Bikes, Do They? by Andrés Miedoso]()
Ghosts Don't Ride Bikes, Do They? by Andrés Miedoso
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDesmond and Andres are in for a bike-riding adventure in the second book of the Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol chapter book series!Welcome to Kersville, a town with a spooky history and a collection of ghosts and spirits who are major mischief-makers. Most kids spend their days without ever seeing or dealing with a ghost, but some kids get stuck with a haunt... -
![Harvest of Scorn by F.G. Cottam]()
Harvest of Scorn by F.G. Cottam
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFelix Baxter, entrepreneur extraordinaire, is going to rehabilitate New Hope Island. Rich and manipulative, he wants to convert it into a glamorous getaway destination, ‘The New Hope Experience’... -
![Just South of Home by Karen Strong]()
Just South of Home by Karen Strong
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCousins Sarah and Janie unearth a tragic event in their small Southern town’s history in this witty middle grade novel that’s perfect for fans of Stella by Starlight, The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing, and As Brave as You.Twelve-year-old Sarah is finally in charge... -
![The Loch Ness Punster by Kate Klise, M. Sarah Klise]()
The Loch Ness Punster by Kate Klise, M. Sarah Klise
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn the seventh and final installment of the popular 43 Old Cemetery Road series, twelve-year-old Seymour Hope has inherited a castle in Loch Ness, Scotland. It could be the perfect summer vacation spot for Seymour and his parents, Olive C. Spence and Ignatius B. Grumply. But Iggy wants nothing to do with the castle... -
![Echoes by Michael Bray]()
Echoes by Michael Bray
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSeven years have passed since the fire at Hope House. Despite surviving, the lives of Steve and Melody Samson have changed for the worse. Steve has become a virtual recluse, while Melody is consumed by guilt, and sees in their son a constant reminder of the man Steve used to be... -
![Ghost in the Attic by Dori Hillestad Butler]()
Ghost in the Attic by Dori Hillestad Butler
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA brand-new young chapter book series from Edgar Award winner Dori Hillestad Butler! After successfully solving the mystery of the ghost in the library, Kaz and Claire land the first case for their detective agency--a haunted attic in a neighbor's home! With a little help from Grannie, Kaz and Claire discover that what appeared to be something spooky has a much simpler explanation...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts paranormal action-adventure book children-books contemporary -
![No Way Out by Dan Poblocki]()
No Way Out by Dan Poblocki
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsShadow House always wins . . .Poppy, Dash, Azumi, and Dylan may have made it out of Shadow House--but the grounds are a whole new nightmare. Someone they thought was a friend is hunting them, and there's no place that's safe now that they've woken the shadow creature... -
![Disney Tales from the Haunted Mansion Volume III Grim Grinning Ghosts by Amicus Arcane]()
Disney Tales from the Haunted Mansion Volume III Grim Grinning Ghosts by Amicus Arcane
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTales from the Haunted Mansion, Volume III: Grim Grinning GhostsAs told by mansion librarian Amicus ArcaneThe eerie Amicus Arcane has returned from beyond the grave to share more spooky stories from inside the Haunted Mansion. What frightening fictions does this once-living librarian hold in store? And will you, foolish reader, be brave enough to listen to them all without going mad.. -
![The Midnight Gate by Helen Stringer]()
The Midnight Gate by Helen Stringer
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt's been two months since Belladonna Johnson discovered she was the Spellbinder, and she's full of questions about her powers. When a ghost finds Belladonna and her classmate, Steve, and gives them a mysterious map, the friends don't know if they should be looking for or hiding from the one person who holds the answers to Belladonna's powers: the Queen of the Abyss...Categorized as:
children ghosts paranormal action-adventure audiobook book children-books chosen-one -
![Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur T. Bradley]()
Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur T. Bradley
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsKendra Levin, while at Viking, acquired world rights to Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by middle-grade author Fleur Bradley, pitched as in the tradition of The Westing Game with a touch of Clue. Aneeka Kalia will edit. Five murder suspects are invited to the haunted Barclay Hotel, and it's up to the tag-along kids JJ and Penny—and a ghost—to figure out who committed the crime...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts paranormal action-adventure audiobook book children-books -
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![You Can't Hide by Dan Poblocki]()
You Can't Hide by Dan Poblocki
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsPoppy, Marcus, Dash, Dylan, and Azumi are all trapped within Shadow House, a sinister estate where past and present intertwine. As they fight to find a way out, the kids think the ghosts of the house are the greatest danger they face. Little do the kids know it's the secrets they're each hiding that will prove even more lethal...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts paranormal action-adventure audiobook book children-books -
![Archimancy by J.A. White]()
Archimancy by J.A. White
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe first book in a middle grade series that introduces three friends and their quest to unravel the secrets of Shadow School, a strange middle school in New Hampshire, from the acclaimed author of Nightbooks and the Thickety series, J. A. White. Perfect for fans of Stranger Things, Neil Gaiman, and Adam Gidwitz.Cordelia Liu knew Shadow School was going to be different...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts paranormal action-adventure audiobook boarding-school book -
![Dying is a Wild Night by Edward Fallon]()
Dying is a Wild Night by Edward Fallon
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTHEY SEE WHAT NO ONE ELSE SEESEvery crime scene has a smell. A look. A trail of DNA.It also has a feel. An emotional residue that lingers... floating unseen, like bacteria in the air, just waiting to be absorbed. To be experienced.To be interpreted.And only the man and the boy know this... -
![Legend of the Ghost Dog by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel]()
Legend of the Ghost Dog by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA thrilling mystery set against a stark landscape and the inspiration of Nome's real-life dog hero, Balto.Twelve-year-old Tee didn't think she believed in ghosts . . . until a walk in the woods around her new rural Alaskan home changes her mind. She and her beagle, Henry, are stalked by a wolfish, decidedly spooky shadow. There's something out there - and it's not of this world... -
![Gilda Joyce: The Ghost Sonata by Jennifer Allison]()
Gilda Joyce: The Ghost Sonata by Jennifer Allison
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen her best friend, Wendy Choy, qualifies to compete in an international piano competition in Oxford, England, irrepressible Gilda Joyce finds a way to get an invitation herself—as a page-turner. Wendy settles into an exhausting practice schedule, made worse by strange nightmares, while Gilda finds herself falling in love with a British boy...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts paranormal action-adventure audiobook book children-books -
![Ghost Dog Secrets by Peg Kehret]()
Ghost Dog Secrets by Peg Kehret
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEach day, sixth-grader Rusty feeds a dog that's left chained in the frigid weather with no shelter, food, or water. When he realizes the dog has been injured, he tries to have Animal Control help - but when that fails, Rusty and his friend Andrew unchain the dog and take it... -
![The Stone Child by Dan Poblocki]()
The Stone Child by Dan Poblocki
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhat if the monsters from your favorite horror books were real?Eddie Fennicks has always been a loner, content to lose himself in a mystery novel by his favorite author, Nathaniel Olmstead. That’s why moving to the small town of Gatesweed becomes a dream come true when Eddie discovers that Olmstead lived there before mysteriously disappearing thirteen years ago... -
![The Ghost of Graylock by Dan Poblocki]()
The Ghost of Graylock by Dan Poblocki
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsDoes an abandoned asylum hold the key to a frightful haunting?Everyone's heard the stories about Graylock Hall.It was meant to be a place of healing - a hospital where children and teenagers with mental disorders would be cared for and perhaps even cured. But something went wrong. Several young patients died under mysterious circumstances... -
![The Haunting of Aveline Jones by Phil Hickes]()
The Haunting of Aveline Jones by Phil Hickes
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAveline Jones loves reading ghost stories, so a dreary half-term becomes much more exciting when she discovers a spooky old book. Not only are the stories spine-tingling, but it once belonged to Primrose Penberthy, who vanished mysteriously, never to be seen again. Intrigued, Aveline decides to investigate Primrose's disappearance.Now someone... or something, is stirring... -
![The Ghost Files by Apryl Baker]()
The Ghost Files by Apryl Baker
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsSoon to be a major motion picture!Cherry blossom lipstick: check Smokey eyes: check Skinny jeans: checkDead kid in the mirror: check For sixteen year old Mattie Hathaway, this is her normal everyday routine. She’s been able to see ghosts since her mother tried to murder her when she was five years old. No way does she want anyone to know she can talk to spooks... -
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![Dream Magic by Joshua Khan]()
Dream Magic by Joshua Khan
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratings"A fantasy world you will lose yourself in." —Rick RiordanIn the second installment of this exciting trilogy, things are dire for the inhabitants of Castle Gloom and the surrounding villages. The undead are leaving their graves in droves, a troll army is on the march from the north, and people are mysteriously disappearing from their homes... -
![Skeleton Creek #1 by Patrick Carman]()
Skeleton Creek #1 by Patrick Carman
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe first book in the breakthrough series from bestselling author Patrick Carman, featuring text and technology in an innovative new way. Strange things are happening in Skeleton Creek . . . and Ryan and Sarah are trying to get to the heart of it...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts paranormal action-adventure book children-books contemporary -
![Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh]()
Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWe Need Diverse Books founder Ellen Oh returns with Spirit Hunters, a high-stakes middle grade mystery series about Harper Raine, the new seventh grader in town who must face down the dangerous ghosts haunting her younger brother...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts paranormal action-adventure audiobook book children-books -
![The Ghost Belonged to Me by Richard Peck]()
The Ghost Belonged to Me by Richard Peck
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratings"More death! More, if you do not stop it. Others lost, like me in the black water. Save them!"When Alexander first sees the eerie glow in the dormer window of the barn, it sets his heart pounding. And when he ventures into the barn in the dark of night, his breath catches in his throat. Suddenly Blossom Culp's words come back to him: "You can make contact with the Unseen...Categorized as:
children ghosts paranormal 20th-century action-adventure book children-books classics -
![The Ghost's Grave by Peg Kehret]()
The Ghost's Grave by Peg Kehret
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhat Josh thought would be the dullest summer of his life, spent with his eccentric great-aunt, turns chilling when he meets the ghost of a coal miner killed in a mine explosion. Willie has been waiting years for some kind soul to dig up his leg and rebury it with the rest of him--only then will he be at peace...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts paranormal action-adventure audiobook book children-books -
![Scritch Scratch by Lindsay Currie]()
Scritch Scratch by Lindsay Currie
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA ghost story about a malevolent spirit, an unlucky girl, and a haunting mystery that will tie the two together. Claire has absolutely no interest in the paranormal. She’s a scientist, which is why she can’t think of anything worse than having to help out her dad on one of his ghost-themed Chicago bus tours...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts paranormal action-adventure audiobook book children-books
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